Breaking Records

Monday

Mar 4, 2013 at 4:31 PMMar 4, 2013 at 4:36 PM

As anyone who pays attention to the weather knows, the past two months have seen very sparse precipitation in Siskiyou County and across the state. On Feb. 28 the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) completed its most recent snow survey and the results are not reassuring.

John Bowman

As anyone who pays attention to the weather knows, the past two months have seen very sparse precipitation in Siskiyou County and across the state. On Feb. 28 the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) completed its most recent snow survey and the results are not reassuring with the announcement that January and February of 2013 have been the driest on record for the northern Sierra mountain region.

“Snow surveyors today confirmed that water content in the mountain snowpack is well below normal for the date,” began yesterday’s DWR press release.

The statement went on to note that, “... the northern California region whose storms fill key reservoirs that supply water to farms and millions of Californians saw the driest January-February on record (since 1920). This is the normally rain-rich, mountainous area from Shasta Lake in the north to the American River basin in the south, where a scant 2.2 inches of rain has fallen since December – 13 percent of average. The next driest January-February was in 1991, with 4 inches of precipitation.”

According to the release, the statewide average snowpack on Jan. 2 was at 134 percent of average for that date and its overall water content hasn’t changed much since then. But the bad news it that it hasn’t increased since then as it normally would, leaving current statewide levels at 66 percent of average for the beginning of March and 57 percent of average for April 1.

In the northern mountain region snowpack water content is slightly better at 70 percent of normal for the beginning of March, due almost solely to storms in December.

In February, the Klamath National Forest released data for the Scott River watershed. As of Feb. 1 that region’s snowpack was at 82 percent of average for the date. More recent data for that region is not yet available.

California’s snowpack normally provides about a third of the annual water supply for California’s farms and communities. Central and southern California water districts are already revising projected water deliveries downward.

The release did note that many key reservoirs are still holding near or above average water volumes, though a continuation of the current trend will put a large dent in those volumes.